The next meeting of the Japan History Group (JHG) at the Institute of Social Science (ISS), University of Tokyo, will be held on Tuesday, 5 December 2017, at 6:00 PM in No.1 Meeting Room (Dai-ichi Kaigi-shitsu), 1st floor of the Main Building of ISS, Hongo Campus.

Presenter: Prof. Kazuo Usui, (Saitama University, University of Edinburgh)

Title:　 The Role of Newly Emergent Wholesalers in the Food and Drink Industry in Japan, c.1880 to 1940: Focusing on the Case of Kokubu

Discussant: Prof. Masayuki Tanimoto, (University of Tokyo)

Abstract:

This paper explores the historical development of Japanese wholesalers in the food and drink industry in modern Japan. Despite many criticisms of Japanese wholesalers as being ‘multi-layered’, ‘old-fashioned’ and ‘outmoded’, there were historical reasons for the existence of wholesalers.While the traditional wholesalers remained even after the Meiji Restoration, the new wholesalers emerged by dealing with new products that appeared for the first time in modern Japan. Utilising the historical conditions of both producers and retailers, the newcomers such as Kokubu boosted their development by innovative activities and gradually superseded the traditional wholesale market, firmly establishing their position as general wholesalers before the Second World War.
Key words: wholesale distribution channels, marketing history, Kokubu,food and drink industry, modern Japan

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Dr. Naofumi NAKAMURA
Professor of Business History
Institute of Social Science,
The University of Tokyo